New York Attorney General Letitia James has directed $1.1 million to support the new Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences New York Soil Health Climate Smart Agriculture Fund, aimed at working with farmers to promote healthy soils. Focusing on soil health provides a foundation for "climate-smart agriculture," farming methods that seek to increase production and income, build resistance to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The funds originate from a settlement by Attorney General James with JBS USA, the world's largest producer of beef products, for "allegedly misleading the public about its commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040," according to a statement from the Attorney General's office.
"New Yorkers deserve the truth when it comes to the environmental impact of the products they buy," said Attorney General James. "JBS USA made sweeping promises about its parent company's climate impacts despite the company having no real plan to back those promises up. My office will always hold companies accountable when they mislead New Yorkers and harm our planet."
The proceeds, which the university received on Jan. 16, will go directly to the New York Soil Health Program in the School of Integrative Plant Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) so that the statewide translational research program can expand their outreach and demonstrations to farmers on various aspects of improving soil health to promote climate-smart agriculture.
"We are grateful that Attorney General James recognizes the strength of our research and extension programs for improving soil health, combating the impacts of climate change, and increasing agricultural profits," said Benjamin Z. Houlton, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of CALS. "This funding will enlist Cornell's expertise to lower farmer input costs, improve soil organic matter quality and empower the soil's natural biology for long-term sustainability."
Attorney General James' support the new Climate Smart Agricultural Fund recognizes Cornell's 150-year partnership with New York state - and its status as the state's land-grand institution, said Julie Suarez, associate dean for land-grant affairs in CALS.
"The attorney general's support of the CALS program is an opportunity to support farm families, meet food access needs with healthy foods produced on healthy soils, protect our natural resources and fight climate change," Suarez said.
Improving soil health is a key component of climate-smart agriculture, a strategy for adapting to and mitigating climate change. The approach includes practices such as reducing tillage to maintain soil structure, cover cropping, planting perennial crops, and building soils with organic amendments such as manure and compost. These practices have been shown to help farmers build healthier soils, limit erosion, improve resiliency to droughts and heavy rains, and sequester more carbon in soils.
The attorney general's funding will enable staff at the New York Soil Health Program to develop new ideas and expand existing ways to educate farmers and agriculture professionals on climate-smart agriculture. Staff plan to expand travel around the state in rural and urban communities with the program's soil health trailer for more farm extension meetings and demonstrations.
"We're trying to think creatively about how we can use our trailer as a mobile classroom," said Joseph Amsili, director of the New York Soil Health Program. The trailer can provide demonstrations about differences between healthy and unhealthy soils, for example.
"With the trailer, we have demonstrations that visibly show farmers the differences in how a heavy rain event might impact poor soil versus soil that has a cover crop on it," Suarez said. "You can see the difference in soil erosion and improved resiliency."
The program will also use funds to invest in equipment and techniques for measuring soil carbon and soil health, while also providing more soil health testing opportunities for growers across the state. Soil health tests help farmers assess the physical, biological, and chemical parameters of their soil based on established benchmarks.
Amsili and program leaders have plans to lead workshops that allow farmers to share their own farm management success stories; teach how soil health practices might differ based on agricultural systems, such in orchards, pastures, grain fields and vineyards; conduct on-farm research on how cover cropping, mulching, and biochar applications might be optimized based on the system where they are applied and then offer on-site demonstrations and field days. "We want to make sure we're covering the basis and full breadth of New York agriculture," Amsili said.
